Following last week’s WASC visit, representatives Ms. Madeleine, Mr. Chris, Ms. Ashley, and Mr. Alex gave an in-depth presentation in the Harmony Theatre to all members of the NIS staff, teachers, and students in attendance. Ms. Ashley was able to shed some light on WASC’s mission statement, noting their commitment to ensuring a safe and high-quality education for all students with warmth.
The occasion proved to be extremely important to NIS, with Ms. Proud and all members of the school administration team in attendance, dressed in their best attire. After a long week of touring the campus and interviewing students & teachers alike, the WASC visiting committee extended their gratitude towards NIS’s warm hospitality before giving a detailed, final presentation on the strengths and weaknesses of our beloved school.
Firstly, in celebration of our school’s strength, WASC highlighted NIS’s cooperative and supportive community, collaborative approach to education, and clear learning expectations. It was observed that NIS students have a strong sense of belonging, a positive relationship with teachers, and actively participate in school activities. The students’ success was also supported by our parents’ consistent support and our teacher’s strong commitment to student learning. Of course, the NIS staff team’s consistent and extensive contributions to our school’s safe and supportive learning environment can not be forgotten, rounding off NIS’s symbiotic ecosystem of education. Additionally, NIS was able to effectively communicate its mission and vision through its continuous efforts to showcase the “SLOs” or student learning outcomes.
Mr. Ben was able to shed light on the school’s recent efforts to improve the learning experience. According to the principal, the NIS faculty went on a self-study process in order to better its service. This journey came with extensive surveys and regular meetings between all staff members. However, when questioned about the correlation between the rising tuition and the school’s self-improvement journey, Mr. Ben chose to focus on the latter end of the question. 
Reportedly, all faculty members were placed into 5 “focus groups,” assigned based on interest and passion, in which they would report complaints and suggest improvements. Additionally, when asked about the involvement of student and parent opinion during the self-improvement process, Mr. Ben stated that they were not involved.
While NIS certainly has its strengths, WASC has kindly pointed out several areas of growth which they determined should be prioritized. Those areas of improvement included security and protection for off-campus students, schoolwide expectations, and both student and administration leadership. As NIS is a multi-cultural school and has the slogan of “Education Through Diversity,” WASC believes that multilingualism should be celebrated to better NIS’s sense of community. In addition to this, further clarification, consistency, and schoolwide emphasis on various courses’ purpose and expectations would contribute to creating long-term academic success. Needless to say, the students’ confidence and comfort in classrooms is extremely important in running a productive school. Therefore, WASC also recommends NIS to bring attention to student-centered leadership and supporting student positivity. Administration leadership must adjust itself in order to meet the needs of its complex student body.
As the presentation reached its conclusion, each WASC representative was presented with well-deserved gift boxes before they left us with an encouraging message: it’s up to us to make the next move. It is only through the combined efforts of students, teachers, parents, and other faculty members that we can ensure the prosperous continuation of NIS’s legacy. Mr. Nicolaus Schoenlaub, the Vice Chair for NIS’s PTSA Executive Committee, noted that while parent representatives were not notified for the WASC visit, it was likely due to scheduling miscommunication and that he believes both the WASC team and the school’s governing board had everyone’s best interests at heart. Ultimately, he states optimistically that NIS must now let their actions speak for themselves, armed with the necessary information for effective and necessary improvement.
Lastly, after the conclusion of the gifting ceremony, Ms. Proud was able to send an encouraging concluding message to the student body. She begins by sincerely stating that while NIS is certainly not perfect, she and the school administration board are committed to improving and listening to the voices of students, staff, teachers, and parents alike. Furthermore, she welcomes every member of the NIS community to reach out and share any complaints and feedback they have. Communication is key, as highlighted in the pathway of becoming an effective collaborator, a critical part of NIS’s SLOs.